New Dress: Butterick B4443

I've been remiss in posting, mostly because of an extended spell of depression, which affected my motivation and creative inspiration. Last week-end I finally sat down to do some sewing for myself, which I hadn't done for a while. I made a dress from Buttericks B4443 pattern:

My fabric was from Lizzy House Constellations. This was a fairly straightforward and quick pattern to make. The only adjustment I made was having to add extra width at the hips for the skirt because of my wide hips, so I created darts at the back so the skirt matched up with the bodice. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

New top

New Look 6981:

This top should have been quick and easy to make but I had some trouble with the draped/cowl neckline. The instructions didn't make sense to me at all so I ended up doing what made sense to me, and it turned out ok. Despite that, I was able to make it fairly quickly - there is just the front and back, and armhole bands, which give it a nice finished look. The fabric is a light weight knit which drapes quite nicely. I came across it while shopping for fabric for a skirt (in progress!) and thought it would be nice for a more dressy top. It's beige with a bit of sparkle in it - fancy!

Current sewing projects

When my local Fabricland closed last year, I took advantage of their sale to purchase lots of patterns, which I'm only now starting to work on. This tunic is New Look's 6677. I found a really nice lightweight cotton, making this an ideal sleeveless tunic for summer. This pattern includes different variations of the same tunic, allowing for lots of personal customization.

Love the split side seam (very comfy) and the

detail of the front neckline panels. It was fairly quick and

easy to make, except the front neckline panels were a bit

tricky because I hadn't made them like that before; it meant

some careful lining up - pay attention

to those dots on the pattern!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Next up, some skirts and a top from New Look's 6981.
 

New dress

I've been so busy lately with other obligations, I haven't had much time to sew for myself. I bought some fantastic vintage fabric in Toronto's Kensington Market last fall, where it's been sitting on my work table ever since. This past week I finally set out to make a simple shift dress with it, from the Japanese sewing book Tunic and Dress.



It was very quick and easy to make, and I used bias trim around the arm and neck holes and hem. It will be perfect over a turtleneck and tights.

Corduroy dress and other projects

Over the holidays I had a long list of little things I wanted to get done around the house, most of which I accomplished (updating my finances, tidying closets, re-organizing sewing supplies, all that boring stuff). I was hoping to get more sewing done, I had purchased new fabric to make two tops but I also had some repairs and alterations to do.


This was a dress I had made a few years ago before I had a serger, so the seams weren't very good, and I've since lost weight so I wanted to re-shape it. I also added some contrast trim so it doesn't look like a sack - there's now a black and white floral trim along the hemline and armholes (forgot to take the before pics). Much better!

This week-end I hope to finish up a tunic I've started. My sketchbook is about half done and there's only 10 days left to finish it, to I need to really get some serious work done on that!

Coming up in my Etsy shops: I'm sold out of saris for Blythe so I'll be making new ones soon.

Skulls!

Somewhere in between craft shows, online sales, and Christmas shopping I made this t-shirt for myself. I had some black cotton jersey knit to use up, and I found this awesome skull fabric to use as a coordinating fabric. I used a t-shirt pattern, and copied the kangaroo pocket from a hoodie. I used the skull fabric for the sleeves and pocket (I love pockets!). I think it's pretty awesome.

Current sewing projects

I've been trying to use up some of my larger pieces of fabric, so I recently made two new skirts and a messenger bag for myself.


This is the first piece of clothing I've made for which I drafted my own pattern. It was also the first time I sewed a pleat and used an invisible zipper. yay for me!


This is just a simple lightweight denim skirt with an elastic waistband.


Lastly, I needed a new bag for myself as the other one I made for myself was a bit too small. It has an adjustable strap, outer and inner slip pocket and an interior zippered pocket. I forget what the outside fabric is, I know I ordered it from Tonic Living, it may be Michael Miller?

Remember: I take custom orders for bags and other small accessories!

Wrap dress

OK, I lied: I said I wasn't going to make anything new for myself until I was done with the fall craft shows, but I have enough inventory and am on a roll with the sewing, so I decided to keep going. This is a wrap dress from Simplicity (#6674).




I've made a dress before, from the Japanese pattern books, but I have to say this one gave me a bit of trouble. I had to re-do the back collar, and I'm not happy with the front panel - somehow there is a seem right down the middle. I think the skirt pieces were too big and I ended up with a whole panel too much. All the pieces for the trim, waistband and ties were a bit tricky to line up. Overall I'm happy with how it turned out but I'm not sure if I would use this pattern again. The fabric (Katie Hana by the Henley Studio, Petite Flowers) was purchased at The Workroom. My grandmother recently passed, so I'm planning on wearing this dress to her memorial service; I think she would like the idea of me wearing something I had made myself.

New Dress

Dress Y from the Japanese pattern book Stylish Dress Book. I'm so happy with how this turned out. Although I have to say, I found drafting the pattern more difficult from this book compared to other Japanese pattern books: all of the pattern lines are the same colour and the same pieces are used for variations, so sometimes I didn't know where the lines ended. And even though I'm using the next size up to accommodate for seam allowance, I still find it a bit snug around the bust/back, so for the next project I'll have to make some adjustments.

Top from Japanese pattern book

I'm slowly getting used to making clothes from the Japanese pattern books, so much so that I just ordered two more books. This top is from "Natural Fabric Summer Clothes & Goods" (ISBN 9784834725506). This book has patterns for household items, such as cutains and bags, along with clothes.




I altered the pattern a bit by lengthening the sleeves, and at the collar: I opted for a small V opening rather than button details. It will be a perfect top for the fall.

New top for me

Recently I took a class at The Workroom on how to make a t-shirt using jersey fabric. Jersey and I don't get along: I don't get it, it doesn't get me. I figured this would be a good opportunity to get to know it better. We were provided with a pattern with variations, and shown how to make fit adjustments according to our measurements. Mine fits perfectly, and I think it looks rather good!